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“Sustainability State” in the Making? Institutionalization of Sustainability in German Federal Policy Making

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  • Harald Heinrichs

    (Institute for Sustainability Governance, Leuphana University Lüneburg, Scharnhorststraße 1, 21335 Lüneburg, Germany
    These authors contributed equally to this work.)

  • Norman Laws

    (Institute for Sustainability Governance, Leuphana University Lüneburg, Scharnhorststraße 1, 21335 Lüneburg, Germany
    These authors contributed equally to this work.)

Abstract

More than two decades after the Rio-conference on environment and development in 1992, sustainable development remains a big challenge. Politics and administration, especially in democratic societies, have a specific responsibility in coordinating sustainable development. In order to fulfill this role, the regulative idea of sustainability needs to be integrated into decision-making in politics and administration at all levels, from local to global. Taking this into account, we have analyzed the institutionalization of sustainability as a crosscutting and long-term challenge at the federal level in Germany. Based on a theoretical-conceptual framework deriving from democracy, bureaucracy and political steering/governance theory, we have employed qualitative methods to understand, in depth, how sustainability is integrated into political-administrative practice. In the present paper, we present key results and show that sustainability is not a routine practice at the federal level in Germany. We will conclude by giving an outlook on the structural and procedural options and argue for the need to develop a “sustainability state”.

Suggested Citation

  • Harald Heinrichs & Norman Laws, 2014. "“Sustainability State” in the Making? Institutionalization of Sustainability in German Federal Policy Making," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 6(5), pages 1-19, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:6:y:2014:i:5:p:2623-2641:d:35744
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Robin Connor & Stephen Dovers, 2004. "Institutional Change for Sustainable Development," Books, Edward Elgar Publishing, number 3229.
    2. Mayntz, Renate, 2009. "Über Governance: Institutionen und Prozesse politischer Regelung," Schriften aus dem Max-Planck-Institut für Gesellschaftsforschung Köln, Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies, volume 62, number 62.
    3. Brandt, Patric & Ernst, Anna & Gralla, Fabienne & Luederitz, Christopher & Lang, Daniel J. & Newig, Jens & Reinert, Florian & Abson, David J. & von Wehrden, Henrik, 2013. "A review of transdisciplinary research in sustainability science," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 92(C), pages 1-15.
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    Cited by:

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    3. Sarah Feron & Harald Heinrichs & Raúl R. Cordero, 2016. "Are the Rural Electrification Efforts in the Ecuadorian Amazon Sustainable?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 8(5), pages 1-22, May.
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    5. Fu-Hsuan Chen & Hao-Ren Liu, 2021. "Evaluation of Sustainable Development in Six Transformation Fields of the Central Taiwan Science Park," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(8), pages 1-14, April.
    6. Harald Heinrichs, 2022. "Sustainable Statehood: Reflections on Critical (Pre-)Conditions, Requirements and Design Options," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(15), pages 1-14, August.
    7. Köhler, Jonathan Hugh & Hohmann, Claudia & Dütschke, Elizabeth, 2018. "Sustainability transitions in local communities: District heating, water systems and communal housing projects," Working Papers "Sustainability and Innovation" S11/2018, Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research (ISI).
    8. Sarah Feron & Raúl R. Cordero, 2018. "Is Peru Prepared for Large-Scale Sustainable Rural Electrification?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(5), pages 1-20, May.
    9. Harald Heinrichs, 2020. "Artful sustainability governance—Foundational considerations on sensory‐informed policymaking for sustainable development," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 28(4), pages 791-799, July.

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